Toy-gun designed to cause a caps-strip subsequent explosion, besides shearing and expulsion of said strip portions upon a cap explosion



Feb. 27, 1968 G. FERRI ETAL 3,370,373

TOY-GUN DESIGNED TO CAUSE A CAPS-STRIP SUBSEQUENT EXPLOSION, BESIDES SHEARING AND EXPULSION OF SAID STRIP PORTIONS UPON A CAP EXPLOSION Filed Aug. 9, 1966 United States ate t tine ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy-gun is disclosed comprising a case having a stock and a hollow barrel into which stock strips of caps are fed through guide means in the stock to a firing element located at the rear end of the barrel. The upper end of the guide means is pivotally mounted and is biased to remain free of the firing element. The firing element has a cap-severing blade integral with it. A percussion element is provided in back of the pivotally mounted portion of the ammunition guide means, the percussion element being actuated by trigger means which also has means for moving the caps one by one to the firing position. The percussion element is caused to strike the rear face of the pivotally mounted guide element which is forced against the firing pin to explode the can positioned in the upper end of the guide means while the blade is severing and ejecting a previously fired cap.

The object of the invention is a toy-gun of the type similar to that disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,304,644, issued 'on Feb. 21, 1967, to the same applicants. The toygun is designed to use strip ammunition formed of a series of interconnected caps, a portion of the introduced strip including a previously fired cap being sheared and expelled at each shot.

According to the invention, the strip of caps is fed through a guide in the toy-gun, at least a portion of which guide in the section adjacent the shearing zone is pivotally movable to and from the firing pin and the shearing blade located at the firing region in back of the gun barrel; a triggered percussion element being provided to apply a force against the pivotally mounted guide section for causing the explosion of the cap by impact against the firing pin and effect the shearing of the strip by the shearing blade. The guide section is biased in position away from the firing pin by, for example, a spring to allow the feed of the caps strip through it.

The pivotally movable guide section for the ammunition strip is pivotally mounted within the case coextensive with a fixed portion of the guide.

The trigger, which is pivotally articulated or linked near the pivot of the movable guide section, is provided with a pair of extensions which embraces the sides of the movable guide section, said trigger having means associated therewith foradvancing the strips of caps one cap at a time into firing position with each operation of the trigger.

A small spring may be provided in cooperable relation between the trigger and the movable guide, to bias the trigger in home position and said movable guide in the position away from the firing pin.

The drawing diagrammatically illustrates an embodiment.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates in longitudinal section a toy-gun made according to the invention with the trigger in home position;

FIG. 2 is a fragment of FIG. 1 depicting the moment of the maximum loading stroke and tripping position of the trigger;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of members combined with the ammunition strip guide, in the firing position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial section taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a partial cross-section taken along the line VV of P16. 1.

According to what is shown in the accompanying drawing, 1 generically denotes the gun case, and of which 2 denotes the stock and 3 the barrel appropriately drilled to allow gas escapement. The barrel 3, at the inside end, has a slot or seat 5 (see particularly FIG. 5), in which a small block 6 is inserted in the direction of the arrow f of FIGS. 1 and 2; said small block having a blade 7 lying in a plane substantially diametral with respect to the hole of the barrel 3. The blade 7 has integral with it a built-in extension 7a, which forms the firing pin for the explosion, and is also provided with chamfered sharp corner extension 7b to form the shearing blade to cut and expel ammunition portions containing an exploded cap, according to an arrangement disclosed in the aforementioned US. Patent No. 3,304,644.

A fixed guide portion 9 is formed in the stock 2 into which an ammunition strip may be inserted in the direction of arrow f of FIG. 1; the strip includes a series of caps C connected to each other by stalks P, which define an endless strip of a molded plastic material or the like. It is not excluded that the caps may be made with a material which afiords a discontinuity with respect to the material forming the strip. In any case, the strip is provided with a series of rack teeth or shoulders as indicated by D in FIG. 4, or other pick-up means to allow the feed at each movement of the trigger at a pitch corresponding to the spacing between each cap.

The fixed guide portion 9 is coextensive at its upper end with a movable guide section 11, which is pivotally mounted in the case via pivot pin 12, near the upper end of fixed guide portion 9. The movable guide section 11 has a rear boss 11a opposite firing pin 7a, with a chamfer of the front portion of the guide to allow matching with member 6, and with a longitudinal slot 14, which is designed for entrance, in the guide interior of an ammunition strip feed member which will be hereinafter described. The angular travel of the guide movable section 11 around pivot pin 12 is restricted on one side by member 6 in the front and on the other hand, by a stop pin 15, in the rear.

17 denotes a percussion member or the firing pin, which is articulated about pivot pin 18 mounted in the case, and which has an upper hammer head capable of striking the upper end 11a of the movable guide section 11 in such a manner as to provide impact between the cap bottom, which is in firing position, and the firing pin 7a. The cock 17 is stressed by a spring 19 of an appropriate type, for example, a leaf spring such as that shown in the drawing and furthermore is provided with a pair of control teeth 17a; these are designed to determine the movement of the cock 17 from the position of FIG. 1 into the position of FIG. 2, with an additional loading of the spring 19, for the quick tripping and the explosion of the cap C which is located in the explosion position.

21 denotes the trigger, which is provided with a slot 22 with a pivot pin 23, integral to the case and passing therethrough. The trigger is stressed in the cocked position (shown in FIG. 2) by a small spring 24, which acts on one hand on the trigger to allow it to be set in the cocked position shown in FIG. 2 and on the other hand, on an extension 11c of the movable portion 11 of the ammunition guide, in such a manner to weakly bias said portion 11 against rear stop 15. The trigger has two extensions 21a, which embrace the movable guide portion 11 with the ends thereof engaging teeth 17a of cock 17. In this arrangement, by acting on the trigger in the direction of the arrow f of FIG. 1, the action of extensions 21a on teeth 17a causes the rear motion of the cock 17 in the position shown in FIG. 2 and the subsequent loading of the spring 19; in this arrangement of the cock 17, the completion of the triggers action results in the overriding of extension 21a with respect to the teeth 17a and by this, the quick tripping of the cock 17. Then the cock strikes the upper end 11a of the movable guide portion 11, leading to the percussive action by firing pin 7a and thus the explosion of cap C in the firing position shown. The cutting and the attendant expulsion of the portion of the strip which is located above the cap in the percussion position is determined by the blade 712 during the firing operation; the projection of piece F including the exploded cap, out of the gun case takes place through an appropriate opening in a direction substantially corresponding to the arrow f of FIG. 4, the projection being determined by the inclination of the cutting edge of extension 7b and by the inherent elasticity of the strip material which is sheared. In this way an imitation of the expulsion of a cartridge shell or case of the real automatic guns is simulated at the moment of firing.

The end 11a of the movable portion 11 of the guide is made up in such a manner as to form a bearing wall for cap C which is to be exploded and a reaction or back-up wall for coaction with the blade.

When the trigger is released after the explosion, the spring 24 stresses or urges it in the opposite direction to arrow i and the length of the slot 22 enables extensions 21a to move along teeth 17a to over-ride the pickup wall and return under the same teeth; after this, the biasing action of the spring 24 returns the trigger into the arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

On one side of the trigger, and in particular on one of the extensions or arms 21a, a blade element 27 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is linked to pivot 26, and said element 27 is urged towards the corresponding side of the movable guide section 11. The blade 27 is provided with a tooth or shoulder 27a bent at right angles which is inserted in the slot 14 cut in said side and side 11, tooth 27 being adapted to engage the edge of rack tooth D of the ammunition strip in such a manner that at each movement of the trigger just prior to firing, the strip is upwardly fed, so as to locate a fresh cap into explosion position C in front of the firing pin 7a; the travel is allowed by the rearward movement of movable portion 11a of the guide against the stop 15, in such a manner that the caps are caused to move past the firing pin 7a. During trigger return, flexible blade 27 is deflected and the inclined corner of the extension 27a moves past the edge of the next adjacent tooth and assumes a position for the next feed of the strip.

As will be understood, the drawing illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention and that other variations and forms may be used without departing from the scope of the claims. For instance, it is not to be excluded that a cam profile may be provided in the lower portion of the member 17 which, during the first length of the tripping stroke from the position shown in FIG. 2 to that shown in FIG. 1 will act on the movable guide portion 11 and cause it to move against firing pin 7a; in this way, non-kinematic power is absorbed in the last portion of the cock stroke as member 11-11a moves towards the firing pin.

What we claim is:

1. A toy-gun for firing a strip of interconnected caps which comprises, a gun case having a hollow barrel and a stock with trigger means located between the stock and said barrel, said hollow barrel having a rear end which communicates with ammunition feed means located within the stock, a firing pin element located at the rear end of said barrel, said element also having integral'therewith a cap severing blade, an ammunition guide means comprising a lower guide means portion and an upper guide means portion in the stock of said gun, said lower guide means portion being coextensive with said upper guide means portion which extends upwardly to the rear end of said barrel, whereby to present caps in firing position relative to said firing pin element, the upper guide means portion being movably mounted so as to provide a free end portion which moves in striking relationship relative to said firing pin element, biasing means -for maintaining the free end portion of the upper guide. means portion away from the firing pin element, a pivotally mounted percussion element located in said gun case in back of said upper guide means portion, said percussion element being biased in home position, means on said trigger for actuating said percussion element in a direction opposite its biased position when said trigger means is actuated, whereby said percussion element is caused to strike said upper guide means portion to force it against the firing pin element, and ammunition advancing means associated with said ammunition guide means for advancing said strip of ammunition, said advancing means being actuated first before firing during actuationof the trigger means.

2. The toy-gun of claim 1, wherein the lower guide means portion is fixed in the lower part of the gun stock, and wherein said upper guide means portion coextensive therewith is pivotally mounted.

3. The toy-gun of claim 1, wherein the percussion element has a cam which acts upon the movable guide means during a portion of the release stroke to move said guide means toward the firing pin element. 8

4. The toy-gun of claim 1 wherein said percussion element has a tooth associated with it and the trigger means has extension means integral with it which cooperate with said tooth whereby to actuate said percussion element, and wherein the ammunition advancing means associated with the guide means is a flexible extension which is pivotally coupled to said trigger means.

5. The toy-gun of claim 4, wherein the biasing means for maintaining the free end portion of the upper guide means portion away from the firing pin element is a spring coupling the trigger means to said upper guide means portion, said spring also serving the function to bias the trigger into home position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 531,777 l/1895 Cleveland 4254 545,345 8/1895 Carty et al. 4254 599,135 2/1898 Wildman 4254 3,304,644 2/1967 Perri et al 4254 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL FEINBERG, Examiner.

T. H. WEBB, Assistant Examiner. 

